The Biden-Harris administration issued a nationwide challenge for better opioid overdose prevention efforts on March 13 and highlighted UT’s Operation Naloxone as an organization tackling the opioid crisis. 

Operation Naloxone is an on-campus initiative aiming to reduce opioid overdoses and better equip the community with resources and training to handle a potential overdose, according to their website. They supply residence halls and on-campus distribution centers with naloxone, which reverses the effects of an overdose, and offer free training for students and staff. 

Operation Naloxone started in 2016 as a collaborative effort between the College of Pharmacy and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work in response to overdoses near campus, according to SHIFT director Kate Lower. The operation later merged with SHIFT, an initiative meant to shift the substance use culture on campus, in 2019. Lower said housing the project under SHIFT made sense to expand the program’s reach. 

“It’s great to get recognition, but it’s also great to be part of an initiative and a call to action to save lives,” Lower said. “It’s an important issue that touches a lot of folks very broadly.” 

The University has trained over 3,000 students and staff on overdose response, according to a press release. Lower said SHIFT has expanded its distribution sites to include the Longhorn Wellness Center and the Center for Students in Recovery. 

“My hope is always that we continue to reach all kinds of community members, (and) that they all feel empowered to intervene, to know what naloxone is (and) to use it if they witness an overdose,” Lower said.